EVENT MANAGEMENT
FALL 2017
CONTENTS FEATURES
National Center for Spectator Sports Safety & Security 118 College Drive #5193 | Hattiesburg, MS (601) 266-6183
National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security
Cover photo courtesy of Ilitch Holdings Inc.
NCS4 UPDATE
4 Letter from the Director Dr. Lou Marciani
RESILIENCE
Dr. Lou Marciani
DIRECTOR
Dr. Stacey Hall
DEPARTMENT CHAIR AND ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
Lauren Cranford
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, OPERATIONS
Alison Crumpton
DIRECTOR, COMMUNICATIONS AND GAMEDAY SECURITY
Daniel Ward
DIRECTOR, TRAINING AND INTEGRATED SYSTEMS
Elizabeth Voorhees
DIRECTOR OF CERTIFICATIONS AND COMPLIANCE
10 Pulling the Emergency Brake
Kyle Hopkins
DIRECTOR OF OUTREACH
Rod Dillon
MANAGER OF BUSINESS AFFAIRS
Kelley Gonzales
INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN SPECIALIST
Christopher Kinnan
CURRICULUM COORDINATOR
Allan Jones
SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT, INTL. TRAINING/CAPACITY BUILDING
William Adams
TRAINING MANAGER
Brooke Graves
TRAINING MANAGER
Mitchell Blair
PROJECT ASSISTANT
Anna Ready
PROJECT ASSISTANT
Brayden Songe
WEBSITE DESIGNER
6 Stand and Deliver
Withstanding and recovering from an incident or attack requires resiliency. VEHICULAR ATTACKS
How to protect sports venues and events against the emerging threat of vehicular attacks.
LEADERSHIP SPOTLIGHT: DANNY DELORENZI
14 Fostering Teamwork and Collaboration
An inside look at MetLife Stadium’s peoplefocused approach to providing exceptional safety and security services.
CIVIL UNREST
20 Rise Up Rising social and political tensions are putting increased pressure on sports security personnel to mitigate potential fan violence.
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NCS4 UPDATE
A Note from the NCS4 Director
Dr. Lou Marciani
Our theme for the Fall publication of Gameday Security is “Building Resiliency in the Sports Safety and Security Industry.” It is important for sport organizations to build resiliency within their safety and security capabilities. Resilience includes the ability to withstand and recover from deliberate attacks, accidents, or naturally occurring threats or incidents. The Fall publication will look at resiliency, as well as other current issues such as civil unrest and the emerging threat of vehicular attacks. New to this publication, we also highlight a leader in our industry, Danny DeLorenzi, Vice President of Safety and Security Services at MetLife Stadium. Here at NCS4, we’ve had a productive Fall. In September, we completed the installation of a stateof-the-art National Sports Security Laboratory (NSSL) at our Center. Thanks to our many security solution partners, we are integrating new technologies to enhance training, education, evaluation, and exercise programs. Also in September, through a partnership with INTERPOL (and their 190 member countries), we delivered our first international course titled Sport Security Executive Management in Lyon, France, to strengthen training for police capacity building. This was the first course of its kind to be accredited by INTERPOL. Our next course is Risk Management Challenges for Major Sporting Events and is scheduled for April 2018 in Lyon, France. Enjoy this issue and we hope to see you at one of our upcoming NCS4 events!
Lou Marciani Director of NCS4
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NCS4 UPCOMING EVENTS NATIONAL INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS SAFETY AND SECURITY SUMMIT JANUARY 15-17, 2018 ORLANDO, FL COMMERCIAL SPORT AND ENTERTAINMENT FACILITIES SAFETY AND SECURITY SUMMIT JANUARY 17-19, 2018 ORLANDO, FL NATIONAL INTERSCHOLASTIC ATHLETICS SAFETY AND SECURITY SUMMIT FEBRUARY 13-15, 2018 NCS4 - UNIV. OF SOUTHERN MISS. - HATTIESBURG, MS NATIONAL SPORTS SAFETY AND SECURITY CONFERENCE AND EXHIBITION JULY 10-12, 2018 LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY
STAND AND DELIVER
Withstanding and recovering from an incident or attack requires exemplary resiliency across all security functions. Bad people are going to do bad things. While simplistic in nature, that statement offers a world of complexities in the realm of sports security. Bad people are going to do bad things, and even when every conceivable precaution has been taken, incidents are still going to occur. The nature of sports security in the past has been mostly reactive, but with organizations like the National Center for Sports Safety and Security and the passionate commitment of other like-minded sports security leaders around the world, there’s been a noticeable shift toward proactive security measures. Incorporating both is critical, especially as it relates to resiliency. According to the Department of Homeland Security’s Presidential Policy Directive 21, resilience is defined as the ability to prepare for and adapt to changing conditions, and withstand and recovery readily from disruptions. In recent years, the concept of resiliency has undergone a transformation in the sports industry to more effectively address security, preparedness, risk and survivability through shared responsibility across all levels of government, private and nonprofit sectors, as well as individual citizens. With the aforementioned “bad” people seeking to exploit any vulnerability to inflict damage, sports organization’s must have a wide-reaching resiliency strategy, as addressed at last summer’s NCS4 Conference. Areas of focus should include, risk management, cybersecurity and emergency preparedness, to name a few.
RISK MANAGEMENT
Security, by nature, is designed to provide specific protection against identified and projected
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circumstances, and the goal is simple: protect fans, employees and participants against any threat. To achieve this, thorough risk assessments are conducted on an ongoing basis, according to John Petrone, President of Petrone Risk, a New York-based litigation firm. “Risk management is not a one-time thing,” says Petrone, a 30-year veteran of the litigation insurance defense industry, who advises sports security leaders to think of risk management in a similar vein as emergency preparedness. “You create an emergency preparedness plan, train on that plan but, God forbid, you still have a disaster. You have to go back and understand what happened, how prepared were we for it, what did we do, what could we do better, and what do we want to do in the future.” A plan needs to be adjusted frequently; as Petrone sees it, all plans are ‘living’ documents. “Things change daily, weekly, monthly, and those plans must be updated with the appropriate frequency,” he says. “If you have a plan from 2007 or 2008, then you have a plan that expired many years ago.” While the norm in sports is likely to update a plan annually, Petrone believes a plan should be informally updated daily. “Look at Las Vegas or Manchester or London, there are events happening sometimes within days or months of one another that have implication on sports venues and events,” Petrone says. “Education is critical, sports organizations and leagues call all learn from one another, and through communication and collaboration, can create safer environments for
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RESILIENCE everyone.” Technology must be tied into any plan, as well. Specifically, sports security leaders must train their teams not only on processes, but the technological tools they can utilize to mitigate risks, such as the implementation of drones and state-of-the-art security cameras that can continuously monitor and track suspicious individuals both inside and outside a facility or event. While technology can be a key defense tool, it is also an undeniable threat.
CYBERSECURITY
Cyber threats present one of the greatest threats to a sports organization’s security, simply because of the enormous frequency of those attacks. Take the 2008 Beijing Olympics – there were over 12 million cyber attacks every day, a statistic Clem McDavid, Babel Street Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Development, doesn’t find surprising. “Sports is no different from any other business; in fact, it’s probably more attractive for would-be hackers because it is prominent in the press and everyday life,” he says. “In fact, we now have ISIS threatening the 2018 World Cup through their online propaganda – there’s another type of communication mean to disrupt things.” Having a clear cyber security plan in place that everyone understands, with capabilities that everyone understands and vulnerabilities clearly identified, is critical, as is the training and execution. But McDavid acknowledges that what might be even more critical is gaining acceptance. “The cyber resilient space is a new market in the sports world, and sports leaders are gathering information and intelligence that is new to them, and then sorting it all out in real-time while still having to run a business,” he says. “Ultimately, you’re going to see this early cyber resilience market begin mainstreaming to more professional teams as a security person or team focusing exclusively on the cyber fiber become a part of security plans.” Sports venues have been evolving into smart stadiums, which has enhanced the fan experience and streamlined operations for facility managers, but there is also increased vulnerabilities too, according to Babel Street CEO Jeffrey Chapman. “Smart stadiums are a really good idea for many reasons, but there’s also increased vulnerabilities with so many components being managed electronically, be it illumination controls, plumbing, power distribution, surveillance, access control, power and safety,” he says.
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“There is more inter-connectedness to allow an outsider to connect and potentially create some havoc on your system.” Again, bad people will do bad things, and breaches are going to happen. Some of the biggest and wealthiest of companies, ones that invested millions in their cyber security, have been cyber-penetrated. “A key part of cyber resilience is the human element. Organizations really need to spend some time upfront training their employees and contracts,” says Chapman, who praises the industry for starting to recognize the magnitude of this looming threat. “I think everybody realizes that they need to be doing something, but not everybody realizes what they should be doing.”
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS
Managing a crisis can involve a variety of incidents – man-made, technological or environmental, and most view crisis planning as simply something that goes into effect when a crisis occurs and subsides once that situation has concluded. Implementing resiliency as part of crisis management planning requires constant focus throughout a venue or event’s operation because, as Ilitch Holdings Vice President of Corporate Security and Safety, Rick Fenton, points out, the bad guy planning cycle has also evolved to expedite activity. “Your planning cycles and everything from a bad guy perspective have shifted totally from what was maybe a lengthier, more involved planning process where you may have had more opportunity to detect them, to now something that could be spontaneous, especially when you’re talking about homegrown violent extremists,” Fenton says. Preparedness plans for mass gatherings are very specific sets of tactical actions that include evacuations, sheltering, rehearsals and stockpiles that organizations will take to mitigate the impact of those potential scenarios or disasters. But as Fenton points out, while those tried-and-true weather scenarios are easier to prepare for, there is always a new trend of threat that requires evaluation and preparation. “I want to be ahead of the curve, so I look at all trends,” says Fenton, pointing to the lessons he learned from the Las Vegas sniper shooting that he can implement at a venue he oversees, Little Ceasar’s Arena. “Our venue, as it sits, doesn’t currently have any threats like that but in two years or so, as the arena around it evolves and begins to develop, it will be a threat. You have to begin your planning on how you’re going to mitigate that threat now, and start thinking about where I’m going to put my counter-sniper teams to mitigate that potential
of someone firing from a building that is now boarded up, but will ultimately be renovated into mixed-use and affordable housing.” When creating a resiliency preparedness plan, Fenton recommends starting with a venue event security planning process where a threat analysis is prepared for each event, with a key focus on guest demographics. “There’s a different risk stream associated with an NBA game than there is for Janet Jackson and Disney On Ice,” Fenton explains. In the sports world, the threat risk can be higher with certain teams in town and the time of year; Fenton cites the Yankees on a Friday summer night requiring a different risk analysis than the Minnesota Twins coming to town on a 32-degree, snowy Tuesday in April. Social media monitoring is another key part of intelligence gathering and understanding potential threats. Fenton was able to properly prepare for a potentially caustic situation surrounding a Kid Rock concert with groups planning to protest Kid Rock’s use of the confederate flag, and a motorcycle gang want to come down and protest in support of Kid Rock and what he had done. “In this case, we met with all parties and laid out how they would be able to peacefully protect,” Fenton says. More than 500 people peacefully protested that event, exercising their constitutional rights while never meeting on the same sidewalk. “But that goes back into that pre-planning process, you have to be engaged in all sorts of intelligence gathering to know what’s going on.” Moving forward, sports organizations must demonstrate resiliency by being aware of the situation, risks, vulnerabilities and current capabilities to deal with any risks, making informed tactical and strategic decisions to protect the sports community from that next looming threat.
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PULLING THE EMERGENCY BRAKE How to protect sports venues and events against the emerging threat of vehicular attacks. It has been more than a year and a half (July 14th 2016) since a 31-year-old Tunisian national drove a 20-ton rental truck into a large crowd in Nice, France, killing 86 people shortly after a Bastille Day fireworks display. At the time, it was considered an isolated incident, but the harsh reality was, that was only the beginning. In the past 12-18 months, there have been an increasing number of incidents where vehicles have been used as weapons to critically injure unsuspecting men, women, and children. In 2016, for example, there were over 600 people killed or injured from vehicle ramming attacks worldwide. Contrast that with the period from 2006 to 2014 where there were an estimated 82 injuries or fatalities from these types of attacks. And in 2017, a man drove an SUV into a crowd on the sidewalk along the Westminster Bridge in London in March. Less than three months later, two terror attacks occurred in central London where seven people were killed, and it all started with a van swerving into a group of pedestrians. Similar incidents have played out across the world in the past year, including Berlin, Sweden, Spain, and Canada. But these terror incidents aren’t strictly international problems. In November 2016, an 18-year-old man injured 11 people when he drove his car into a group of students at Ohio State University. And on Halloween this year, eight people were killed and nearly a dozen injured when a man drove a rented pickup truck into pedestrians near One World Trade Center in New York City.
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“Any place where crowds of people gather are a suitable target for criminals and terrorists that want to cause harm,” says Elizabeth Voorhees, Director of Certifications and Compliance at the National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security (NCS4).
“Those looking to do harm are always finding ways to take advantage of vulnerabilities, which requires security managers to continuously assess risk and determine the best ways to protect people and events.” The rate at which these attacks are occurring is accelerating. The sports security community must be prepared for this evolving threat described in an Al Qaeda 2010 article as “The Ultimate Mowing Machine.”
CONSIDER ALL OPTIONS
According to Robert Dodge, Executive VP at G4S Corporate Risk Services, all threats must be examined in three ways: existence, intent, and capability. “When you think about capability, you look at what kind of weapons do they have access to, and getting a vehicle is not all that difficult, even in most parts of the world,” Dodge says. Not only is vehicle access in abundance worldwide, but so are the amounts of potential targets.
CERTIFICATION
Photo courtesy of Baylor University
Literally hundreds of thousands of sporting events are held globally every year – from professional, collegiate and high school to youth recreation and, perhaps the most vulnerable to this type of attack, endurance events. “Road races and endurance events have unique safety challenges since they are spread out and in open areas,” Voorhees says. All events and venues are looking at protective measures that can be implemented, including sensors, bollards and blockages, but there are several key vehicle-related areas that all venues must equally prioritize to ensure the safest event possible, starting with something as simple – and difficult – as situation awareness.
SITUATION AWARENESS
According to Dodge, “One of the first questions that must be answered is how are the event organizers and people working trained in situational awareness to detect early indicators of a threat,” he says. “When we talk about vehicle ramming or vehicle terrorism, are there any unusual modifications to a motor vehicle or passenger SUV? Do you see heavy commercial vehicles being operated radically?”
TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT
Heavy foot and vehicle traffic is expected at major sporting events, increasing the risk of a vehicle assault. Most venues have established perimeters with appropriate tools or blockades in place , and many event venues are extending the perimeter to tailgating areas and beyond to neutralize threats as far from the venue itself as possible. But in the end, it all comes down to those responsible for securing the perimeter. “It’s about utilizing your human resources to conduct vehicle inspections, monitor parking lots, monitor suspicious behavior, and making sure vehicles are credentialed,” says Voorhees, who also reminds security personnel to pay close attention to all vehicles entering the perimeter, including media vehicles, team buses, deliveries, and even waste management. Another line of defense includes conducting thorough background checks on all drivers authorized to be within the perimeter, Voorhees suggests.
CROWD CONTROL
Have a physical security presence. Sounds simple, but many areas surrounding a venue or event, for example, have gaps in security, empowering those with bad intentions to take potentially devastating action. “These events are open to the public and in most areas, you want to extend your perimeter as far as possible so when the bad guy is looking, they see a physical security presence that’s ready to identify and intervene,” says Dodge. VEHICLE BARRIERS While it is not exactly fighting fire with fire, sports security practitioners can utilize the same type of heavy-duty vehicles being used in attacks to stop an attack as well. Per Dodge, “A lot of people are using heavy-duty trucks and placing them in strategic locations to prevent vehicles from speeding in congested locations, ” he says. “So now, maybe they have to make a turn, and these vehicles being used as weapons become vulnerable to police action. These delays are important because they enable law enforcement to respond to the incident and hopefully neutralize it.”
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VEHICULAR ATTACKS
FACILITY DESIGN
One of the key ways sports and entertainment venues are providing protective barriers for their facilities is through indiscreet yet aesthetically pleasing methods that are not immediately recognizable as serving the security purpose that they do. According to Voorhees, “Concrete planters, statues, and monuments or even water barrels, are being strategically placed in and around vulnerable areas such as entry gates, so it’s aesthetically pleasing, but also serves as a security measure.”
LOCAL COLLABORATION
Collaborating with local public safety officials is also another important step in preventing vehicular attacks at sports and special events. This could be something as simple as inviting local agencies that are responsible for incident response at the venue or event to meet to discuss planning and explore possible emergency scenarios. But ultimately, all leaders need to be open to new ideas, regardless of where they come from. “Having proactive leadership is going to serve the industry well in staying at the forefront of changing terrorism tactics, such as vehicle ramming,” Voorhees says. Dodge adds that increased information sharing between multiple groups to understand any potential threats is also critical in this process.
TECHNOLOGY
Video surveillance is the most commonly used tool utilized in sports venue security, and for good reason. Its capabilities have expanded exponentially over the years and can now play a key role in vehicular protection. Another option to consider is K9 detection. Local law enforcement agencies have trained dogs and handlers that can be utilized on game day to check every vehicle that come within a certain radius of a venue or an event, but the downside is the limited resources law enforcement can provide. The reality is, there are only so many trained dogs and so much area they can cover. As the threat of vehicular attacks increases, it’s going to be even more imperative for sports security leaders to work together to assess all threats and have the appropriate plans in place to mitigate that risk. “This thing is not going away tomorrow,” Dodge says. “People have to be aware of their surroundings, both employees and people going out to large public events. The more people are aware of it, the more effective these mitigation strategies will be and the safer these environments will become.”
DELORENZI
LEADERSHIP SPOTLIGHT:
DANNY DELORENZI FOSTERING TEAMWORK AND COLLABORATION An inside look at MetLife Stadium’s people-focused approach to providing exceptional safety and security services BY ELIZABETH VOORHEES I recently had the opportunity to visit MetLife Stadium and observe the game day operations from the Command Center during the New York Jets/Miami Dolphins game. During my visit, I met with Daniel (Danny) DeLorenzi, Vice President of Safety and Security Services at MetLife Stadium, who spoke at great length about the work he performs as a sport security management professional at one of America’s premiere sport and entertainment venues. Located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, MetLife Stadium serves as the home for two National Football League franchises: the New York Football Giants and the New York Jets. In addition to professional sporting events, which also include international soccer matches, MetLife Stadium hosts concerts, college football games, and many other special events on the field and in the premium spaces.
MY ARRIVAL AT METLIFE
I arrived at MetLife Stadium on a Friday morning. After being screened (walk-through magnetometer) at a security checkpoint, I was escorted to the security offices through the loading dock where I observed dozens of stadium employees continuing the changeover from the Monday night Giants game in preparation for the Jets game on Sunday. From sideline signage to the premium clubs’ napkin dispensers, there are over one thousand changes
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made each week to flip the stadium over from one team to the other. I am finally introduced to Danny DeLorenzi who has been leading the safety and security efforts at MetLife Stadium since the venue opened in 2010. Previously, DeLorenzi worked for the Newark Police Department (retiring as a Deputy Chief) and subsequently spent several years in the private sector working for a major corporation. The opportunity to lead the MetLife Safety and Security Services Department occurred when DeLorenzi was consulting on the security design of several commercial sports and entertainment facilities, which included MetLife Stadium. Transitioning from law enforcement to corporate security, and then to consulting, gave DeLorenzi a strong foundation to assume the responsibilities as a sports security management professional. DeLorenzi credits his law enforcement background and longstanding relationship with local fire departments for his initial success in building relationships among the local public safety agencies. However, after listening to him juggle multiple conversations with stadium facilities staff and the legal department in regards to lending team bench cooling units to a local university for a game on Saturday, it is apparent that he has a legitimate concern for public safety within the community. In keeping with the momentum of
LEADERSHIP SPOTLIGHT the last minute, internal coordination he successfully pulled off, DeLorenzi started our conversation with the importance of teamwork and multi-agency collaboration. Establishing positive relationships with local public safety agencies is an important aspect of the type of teambuilding required to facilitate effective, coordinated response efforts. According to DeLorenzi, “There tends to be silos in public safety, and we find ways to break those down.” Recently, he conducted a tabletop exercise, which included stadium staff and representatives from responding agencies. “It’s important to see the world from their perspective,” said DeLorenzi. This viewpoint provides senior leadership with the types of information needed to ensure that everyone has the resources they need in order to accomplish their jobs successfully. “It is to our benefit that we understand what each agency and department is responsible for, and what their priorities are,” said DeLorenzi. DeLorenzi is charismatic. He interjects casual humor in our conversations with a purposive balance of personality and professionalism. He openly shares his meticulous event-staffing plan, which is a colorcoded framework broken down by position, post, and area. Underneath each box is a written equation, which he explains is his calculation for in-house and contracted staff taking into account average rates of absenteeism. His attention to detail becomes overtly apparent. Without pause, DeLorenzi switches gears and begins describing some of the challenges he faces managing 700 plus event staff and multiple agency partnerships.
“On game day, this place is organized chaos,” said DeLorenzi, “but I know exactly how many people are out there, what their jobs are, and why I need them there.” Human resource management is critical to organizational success because human capital (training, experience, judgment, and intelligence) is inseparable from executing business strategies in quality, profitability, and customer service. DeLorenzi is responsible for making determinations about human resource and equipment requirements needed to accomplish objectives in safety and security. This type of decision-making involves a comprehensive understanding of the organizational roles, structures, and processes that are in place at the venue, and entails critical analysis of various complex and dynamic tasks in order to understand the implications and consequences of a selected course of action.
Working closely with law enforcement, local fire departments and emergency medical services, as well as other departments within the MetLife Stadium organization, such as guest services, custodial services, and facilities management, is an integral part of leading security operations. “There is an overarching mindset that we’re all in this together and if something goes wrong we are all going to have to answer to this together,” DeLorenzi stated. This line of thought explains why DeLorenzi includes all key agency and department representatives in writing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), which he says helps everyone involved prepare and effectively execute their duties and responsibilities. A central aspect of developing SOPs is familiarization with facility operations in order to understand the feasibility and impact of certain actions. Unlike community policing or industrial security, sport and event security management is brand oriented and influenced by traditional business drivers, which gives cause for consideration of quality guest services and the “fan experience.” To create and sustain competitive advantages, SOPs must be written and implemented in ways that contribute to a positive guest experience or, at the very least, in ways that do not negatively impact fan enjoyment of an event. Ensuring guests have a safe and enjoyable experience requires training at every staffing level. DeLorenzi conducts his own staff training in areas such as crowd management, risk mitigation, and essential duties and responsibilites. Having face-toface interaction with front line event staff helps him to clarify roles and responsibilities, and to place emphasis on the most important tasks that staff will need to know during an actual live event. Training front line staff is one of the most vital aspects of venue safety and security because they are the first line of defense. As he sees it, “You have to motivate people to willingly accomplish their job assignments.” Ensuring that each staff member understands their role as part of the event safety and security team empowers them to make important decisions about life safety and venue security. It also builds confidence in terms of implementing emergency response procedures, such as evacuation protocols, because they have received comprehensive training. Employee motivation becomes especially critical in the aftermath of tragic world events, such as the recent suicide bombing that took place at Manchester Arena. Speaking rhetorically, DeLorenzi says, “After that kind of incident, I immediately need to focus on keeping our people motivated. By telling them that if you come to work and do your job correctly then those same dangers will not come towards you. Because anyone who sees you doing your job the right way will walk
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away. Doing your job correctly is a deterrent.” DeLorenzi keeps in regular contact with his front line security staff, sending out weekly emails to thank them for the work they are doing, discussing the next event, and reiterating the importance of successful job performance. His progressive management style reinforces some of the most basic psychological needs of employees: To be recognized and appreciated. Switching from human resource management to emergency management, DeLorenzi explains how a significant amount of thought and preparation is spent on emergency preparedness and counterterrorism because of the potential consequences. He articulates that leaders in his position must dissect methods of attack to determine everything that can reasonably be done to prevent and mitigate the consequences, by visualizing attacks and positioning barriers and other protective measures, both equipment and human resources, accordingly. With visible self-restraint DeLorenzi says, “The hardest part of this position is thinking and talking about things, that by human nature, most people do not want to think or talk about.” DeLorenzi continued, “Not only are we protecting people, but we are also protecting a way of life. Sports and entertainment events are an important part of American life and our goal is to protect that freedom; freedom to go to an event and not be afraid.” He clarified his statement further by using a simple, yet prophetic analogy:
“The military is protecting our way of life [there] to keep us safe here. It is important for them to know that there are people on the civilian side who are trying to do the same thing they are doing, so what they’re doing actually means something...” He continued, “What good is it if they are going over there fighting for our safety and we leave the front door open for anybody to walk right in? So we keep the door closed — so that what they are trying to stop over there, we are also working to stop over here. It’s a complete circle. You don’t want people fighting for your freedom somewhere else when you’re not making people safe here at home.” Today, an asymmetric conflict exists, where simple and minimal resources on the part of terrorists are inflicting major damage. And the means to prevent and protect against those attacks are both costly and complex. Recognizing that tactics used by individuals who want to hurt or kill people gathering en masse to attend sports and entertainment events continues to evolve, and shows no sign of slowing down, reaffirms the need for continuous training and assessment. Leaders in sports security are responsible for ensuring that their team members, key subordinates, and key partners are educated and trained in both day-to-day operations and in preparation for crisis situations. As confirmed by DeLorenzi, “Training is one of the greatest times to interface with your employees because it allows you to incorporate leadership skills and put things in a realistic perspective.” Finding ways to foster trust through relationship building is as important for front line staff as it is for the command group and its external partners. Because at the end of the day, we all play our part in securing sports and events — and protecting the American way of life.
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LEADERSHIP SPOTLIGHT GAME DAY
That Sunday I was invited back to MetLife Stadium to observe game day operations from the Command Center. Once more, I came through the security checkpoint at the loading dock where I was screened through a walk-through magnetometer. After presenting my credential, I was permitted back to the security offices where about a dozen staff members sat at their stations preparing for game time. The atmosphere was relaxed. Representatives from law enforcement rotated in and out, checking-in with their superiors and cracking a few jokes before heading to their post assignments. Others entered the room with purpose, speaking directly to Fire Chief Joe Lipari who serves as the Command Center Manager on game days. Chief Lipari gave me an overview of what would happen once the gates opened and ticketholders began entering the stadium. He pointed to the various CCTV monitors as he explained what the security operators would be looking for at each entry point. He then peered into the room adjacent to the Command Center where representatives from each department within MetLife Stadium were seated at designated workstations. “It’s important to have representatives from all departments in close proximity,” said Lipari, “Everything we do requires a coordinated response.” He elaborated by describing the following possible scenario: If a fight occurs between two fans in the stadium bowl and an injury occurs, multiple departments must respond to the incident. It is likely that law enforcement officers would be deployed first to restore safety, making arrests if necessary. Followed immediately by EMS who would tend to the injuries of the fans involved or other guests effected by the altercation. Custodial services would then be sent to clean up any spills or other hazards that could become a safety issue. Finally, guest services representatives would follow-up to offer incentives such as a free t-shirt or meal ticket to compensate for the inconvenience other guests may have experienced as a result of the fighting. Discussions on coordination and collaboration usually revolve around public safety agencies, which is certainly central to safety and security operations. Still, considering that a spill or a broken chair back stemming from one incident could lead to additional, secondary injuries underscores the importance that each staff member plays in providing a safe stadium environment and quality guest services. Building and maintaining positive relationships with each agency and department is imperative in a stadium environment where coordinated responses are routine. As it is commonly said, ‘a chain is only as strong as its weakest link.’ As we hear DeLorenzi give instructions to open the gates for ingress, attention shifts to the entrances displayed on the CCTV monitors. The staff prepare their stations and go through what I presume are readiness checklists, occasionally shouting confirmations to others in the room. The energy in the Command Center changes as everyone anticipates the arrival of nearly 70,000 spectators in the next two hours. The ingress time was late, according to DeLorenzi, who reasoned that the warm weather was keeping people in the tailgating areas a little longer. The tailgating areas are patrolled by parking and security personnel who enforce tailgating and parking policies, and ensure alcohol guidelines are being followed. Alcohol management is an issue that MetLife Stadium takes very seriously. During our conversation on Friday, DeLorenzi had spoken at length about fan code of conduct violations relating to alcohol and policy enforcement. The policy states: “Those who are ejected for a violation of the Guest Code of Conduct or a stadium policy are prohibited from returning to MetLife Stadium. If they wish to return to MetLife Stadium to attend any future event(s), they must make the request in writing.” When a guest contacts the Safety and Security Services Department to request re-admittance, they are instructed to complete a four-hour, fee-based Fan Code of Conduct Class. After completing the course, the individual must send the course certificate to DeLorenzi who then approves them for re-admittance. Returning to the venue without completing the class and receiving approval from DeLorenzi is considered a trespassing violation. Danny shared a story with me about a young man they discovered trespassing at a recent event for this very reason. He explained the policy to the young man and his father who was accompanying him. The father was insistent that his son was unaware of the policy and that if his son had known, he most certainly would have completed the course. DeLorenzi then asked the father to step aside and discretely said, “I will allow your son to stay with you until the end of the game but he will receive a violation if he returns again. However, from one father to another, I must tell you that your son was informed of the policy and is not telling you the full truth.” Later that night DeLorenzi received an email from the father thanking him for his leniency and professionalism, and within a few hours the son submitted a certificate of course completion. “We’re bringing families together,” DeLorenzi said with a smile. “Had I ejected the son, which is within our
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right to do, it would have ruined a family night out. Sometimes you have to make judgements about a situation and hope that they work out and in this case it did,” said DeLorenzi. Security management professionals must make decisions and judgments about a wide array of situations and under differing circumstances. They must also take full responsibility for the outcome and be able to explain the rationale for their decisions. During normal operations, security management professionals analyze information and follow logical lines of reasoning to problem solve. These same problem-solving principles also apply during emergencies when information may be incomplete or significantly more complex. The reality of a transition from normal operations to emergency operations is that security professionals must be able to demonstrate balanced thinking, combining analysis, experience, and perspective to take quick and decisive action. In the context of the Command Center, communication is key among the incident commander, command staff, and general staff. Even during normal operations, the Center can seem disorderly and confusing to anyone who is not trained on the Incident Command System (ICS). As dispatchers field endless calls and the Command Center Manager clarifies orders and redirects resources from the various agencies and departments, the term “organized chaos” comes back to mind, but everyone in the room seems to know where to look, who to listen to, and what cue to follow. For this reason, the team aspect of the Command Center cannot be overlooked. Spending time in the Command Center at MetLife Stadium on a normal event day gave me a new perspective on the importance of relationship building, interpersonal influence, and teamwork in security operations. Amid all the planning, preparation, and strategy development security management professionals perform, at the core of their work is human resource management. Without qualified and trained staff, plans and procedures cannot be successfully carried out. Through effective teambuilding and collaboration, sports organizations can strengthen their preparation and response capabilities by developing human capital. Motivating people to perform their jobs proficiently and effectively challenges leaders to find progressive ways to drive employee engagement through training and exercise, and by building a rapport based on trust and appreciation. Likewise, creating an organizational culture based on inclusion and mutual respect may have a greater influence on success than partnerships based on necessity alone. Recognizing the value of differing perspectives and expertise enhances problem-solving abilities by bringing attention to the consequences or effects of certain actions, which enables leaders to find solutions that are acceptable to diverse groups representing different interests. Today’s ever-changing threat environment calls for the continuous assessment of security practices and performance outcomes so to identify new and better ways to accomplish goals in safety and security. Keeping at the forefront of the security evolution, Danny DeLorenzi and his team at MetLife Stadium exemplify how a diligent and reliable cadre of internal and external partners are the most important factor contributing to successful operations in safety and security, and the key to providing a positive guest experience. Thank you to Danny DeLorenzi, Joe Lipari, Bill Squires, and the Safety and Security Services Department at MetLife Stadium for your contributions to this article.
FA LL 2017 GAMED A Y SE C U R ITY
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Photo courtesy of Baylor University
RISE UP
Rising social and political tensions are putting increased pressure on sports security personnel to mitigate potential fan violence. BY DENNIS VAN MILLIGEN
In recent years, several incidents have occurred in and around sports venues that are requiring public safety agencies, facility management personnel and event security teams to work together to anticipate and manage civil disturbances and organized protests. Most notably, former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick ignited a media storm last year when he took a knee during the National Anthem to protest racial discrimination in the United States. The ripple effects of Kaepernick’s gesture have had enormous impact, with NFL players and teams using similar forms of protest, such as the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tennessee Titans refusing to leave the locker room during the National Anthem this season. Anthem protests at sporting events are not new. Perhaps the most memorable moment occurred at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, when U.S. athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised their fists – a gesture associated with “black power” – during the anthem. “The 1968 Olympics, that’s the one that sticks out in the minds of most people,” says Russ Simons, Managing Partner at Venue Solutions Group. “But it didn’t really
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cascade or lead to anything, people just took it for what it was.” While other protests have been sprinkled into sporting events since then, no protest has been as powerful as Kaepernick’s and none have touched as many sports and lives. In approximately two months immediately following Kaepernick’s demonstration, Think Progress estimated that 52 high schools, 43 colleges, one middle school and two youth leagues followed suit. And while NFL players have decreased participation in this activity in recent weeks, the issue has already-passionate fan bases divided. And now, more than ever, the sports security community must be reunited in how it navigates these increasingly choppy waters. A CIVIL APPROACH According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), civil disturbance is “a civil unrest activity, such as a demonstration, riot or strike that disrupts a community and requires intervention to maintain public safety.” Civil disturbances, mass protests and
CIVIL UNREST
demonstrations can cause a variety of subsequent issues, such as violence and assault, disorderly conduct or vandalism. In recent years, there’s been a noticeable rise in passive, non-aggressive protesting. At a Minnesota Vikings game in January 2017, for example, two protestors hung a banner referencing the Dakota Access Pipeline. This is the type of protesting that is being seen more frequently at sporting events as an extension of the Kaepernick protest.
third parties are responsible for to help mitigate potential problems. While Monroe sees a lot of success in training programs and public-private partnerships, one of the areas where he sees room for improvement is working with event management to establish their role in civil unrest environments. “You have to establish what role event management and soft security will play, that’s where better training and collaboration needs to take place,” he says.
But the threat of an aggressive, violent civil disruption also looms, as University of Kentucky Police Chief Joe Monroe can attest. Two months after the Vikings game disruption, Kentucky fans rioted after losing to North Carolina in the Elite Eight, burning shirts and couches and destroying televisions. “We plan for civil unrest three to four times a year, and all of that concentrates around the NCAA basketball tournament,” Monroe says. “We had very few problems compared to prior years because we were prepared.” When civil unrest has the potential to impact game day activities, be it pre-game, during the game or post-game, it’s critical to have all potential risks clearly identified, followed by mitigation strategies clearly communicated to all stakeholders, according to Monroe.
MSA Explosive Detection Canine Teams are operationally trained for stadium crowd searches. They are deployed to identify explosive odors in the air and track them back to their source – even in crowds of tens of thousands.
“You have to identify where your hot spots may be, and then develop your mitigation strategies and tactics needed to quell any unrest or manage any unrest,” he says. “Once you identify what the risks are, your strategies and your staffing levels, then you look at what the rules of engagement are. Do you go with a soft approach or do you go with more of a hard approach? A lot of that depends on the crowd you’re dealing with and the environment.” Once that plan is in place, sports security leaders must establish what their partners or
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IN THE ZONE Planning for a civil disruption is easier when you know it’s coming, like riots after major sporting events. But preparing for those passive protestors that gather outside venues and approach fans unsolicited on their ways into a venue that presents a real challenge. Unless an organization has top-notch intelligence officials in place or catch wind of a potential demonstration online via a blog or social media, it’s extremely difficult to prepare for a protest outside a venue’s perimeter.
states. “If you’re dealing with a high school, you need to be in touch with the student population and gain a better understanding of where they’re coming from, because you’re going to take a different approach than you would at a collegiate or professional level.” Resources can be a major challenge on the collegiate level, and especially on the high school level, making it even more critical that all staff available are properly trained and have the proper tools to address any situation that may arise from this type of demonstration.
The ideal solution is to create a zone or location where demonstrators can peacefully protest away from potential danger areas without disrupting the fan experience, according to Simons.
Simons works with many colleges, and in the past, any type of civil disturbance was traditionally associated with football and men’s and women’s basketball, the traditionally highest revenue-generating and high-visibility sports in college. But now, he’s stressing the importance of emergency action plans and preparation across all sports.
“You have to understand what the rules are in regards to protest zones, and what people can and can’t do in the public space, and in many cases, this can vary from state to state,” he says. The other part is knowing your demographic. “You have to know who you’re dealing with,” Monroe
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“Those security plans and training have extended themselves to sports like baseball, softball, soccer, track and field, which is great because we are doing a better job at raising awareness on preparations at every level,” Simons says. “The nature of public reaction to civil
disturbances is always changing, and this threat is never going to be static or stable. We need to create foundation of information communication that allows us to react to the changing nature of what’s going to happen in the future.” And make no mistake, there will always be civil unrest and disturbances associated with sporting events.
“They have the right to express their free speech under the first amendment, but it’s our job to make sure it’s done in a manner that’s respectful to everybody.” – JOE MONROE, UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY
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